I had my eighth and final chemo treatment yesterday and it came not a week too soon. As I've said before, I've had an easier time of this than most cancer patients given my age, fitness level, and "easy" treatment plan, but it's still been a challenge these past couple rounds. I am very glad I won't be having two more months of this. Snow is finally (slowly) starting to melt up here and I'm ready to get on with my life and enjoy our brief summer.
I will have another PET scan in the upcoming week just to confirm that there is no cancer showing and then I can have my port taken out. Oh how I will miss it. After that, there will be another scan at 6 months and then CAT scans at regular intervals. Five years without a relapse is the official criteria for officially being cured but everyone seems to think I'm good to go.
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
6 Down, 2 to Go
Sorry for the time in between posts, I've been tired/lazy lately. The treatments are really starting to catch up with me from a fatigue standpoint but...THERE ARE ONLY 2 LEFT!!!! Pretty excited about that. The 6th treatment session was last Friday and it pretty much took me down for 5 straight days. While Julie was pushing the pedals around the White Mountain 100 course (She did Great!), I was just pushing the covers around the bed.
Still I'm thankful and can't help feeling a little guilty. At almost exactly the same time that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's, my aunt was diagnosed with colon cancer. While I've been limited to just chemo as treatment, she has been subject to the full suite: chemo, radiation, and multiple surgeries. Compared to what I've been going through, she has had a much rougher time of it but the last news I heard was that her situation was greatly improved and had reached the same point as me as far as her PET scan: no more observable cancer cells, end of chemo in sight. Awesome news!
It got a little more "interesting" for me last week as my blood counts came back to low to treat the day before chemo. They gave me a shot to try to boost them before the next day's chemo and thankfully that worked. I mean, I wasn't too thankful because yeah, it "allowed" me to get chemo but I don't want to delay this crap anymore than I need to.
Physically it hasn't really affected me too much. I've lost about 10 pounds but that actually seems really low given all the beer I haven't been drinking. I've probably lost some muscle mass and put on some flab though because really I've just been sitting around reading when not working. Between the fatigue and then the heart arrhythmia that follows, it hasn't been real conducive to physical activity except for the few days leading into the next chemo session.
I've still got hair but as Julie says, "it's getting fuzzy". Really thinned out which I've been able to cover up by continuing to grow it long but it's starting to blow around in the wind. If it does grow all the way back, I've had a good preview of how far I'd have to go before being bald and it seems I'm much farther off than I thought.
My eyebrows have thinned out and look kind of weird and I've also lost my armpit hair and the ability to grow a mustache. The fact that the rest of my facial hair continues to grow at a normal pace inspired me to attempt the immortal "Chinstrap Beard". Classic example:
Unfortunately, being new to this style, I struggled a bit. This is tough to achieve!
The first attempt looked something like this. I left a little too much on there, although as seen in this image, it does have some distinctly simian characteristics:
The second attempt looked something like this:
While this was slightly better, it was still atrocious and Julie feared it. I also found that it requires a lot of effort to properly maintain a chinstrap. All further efforts were abandoned.
Still I'm thankful and can't help feeling a little guilty. At almost exactly the same time that I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's, my aunt was diagnosed with colon cancer. While I've been limited to just chemo as treatment, she has been subject to the full suite: chemo, radiation, and multiple surgeries. Compared to what I've been going through, she has had a much rougher time of it but the last news I heard was that her situation was greatly improved and had reached the same point as me as far as her PET scan: no more observable cancer cells, end of chemo in sight. Awesome news!
It got a little more "interesting" for me last week as my blood counts came back to low to treat the day before chemo. They gave me a shot to try to boost them before the next day's chemo and thankfully that worked. I mean, I wasn't too thankful because yeah, it "allowed" me to get chemo but I don't want to delay this crap anymore than I need to.
Physically it hasn't really affected me too much. I've lost about 10 pounds but that actually seems really low given all the beer I haven't been drinking. I've probably lost some muscle mass and put on some flab though because really I've just been sitting around reading when not working. Between the fatigue and then the heart arrhythmia that follows, it hasn't been real conducive to physical activity except for the few days leading into the next chemo session.
I've still got hair but as Julie says, "it's getting fuzzy". Really thinned out which I've been able to cover up by continuing to grow it long but it's starting to blow around in the wind. If it does grow all the way back, I've had a good preview of how far I'd have to go before being bald and it seems I'm much farther off than I thought.
My eyebrows have thinned out and look kind of weird and I've also lost my armpit hair and the ability to grow a mustache. The fact that the rest of my facial hair continues to grow at a normal pace inspired me to attempt the immortal "Chinstrap Beard". Classic example:
Unfortunately, being new to this style, I struggled a bit. This is tough to achieve!
The first attempt looked something like this. I left a little too much on there, although as seen in this image, it does have some distinctly simian characteristics:
The second attempt looked something like this:
While this was slightly better, it was still atrocious and Julie feared it. I also found that it requires a lot of effort to properly maintain a chinstrap. All further efforts were abandoned.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
(Mostly) Good News!
Wow, has it really been a month since the last update? Sorry about that. Long story short, chemo has been taking a tougher toll on me and I haven't really felt like talking about it too much. Fatigue lasts longer and is more extreme and this heart arrhythmia has really been bothering me. That's the bad news.
The great news is that I had my 2-month PET scan yesterday and the results are outstanding. The lymphoma is almost completely gone except for one little bit in a node in my neck which will probably be gone next week. That means only two more months of chemo instead of four. I am extremely thankful for this because even though this is considered a "mild" form of chemo, it still SUCKS.
It's still going to be a long two months but it's no four months. Looking forward to getting back in shape for the summer.
Hair has slowly been coming out the past couple of weeks but still hanging in there. No bald monkee pics to share yet.
The great news is that I had my 2-month PET scan yesterday and the results are outstanding. The lymphoma is almost completely gone except for one little bit in a node in my neck which will probably be gone next week. That means only two more months of chemo instead of four. I am extremely thankful for this because even though this is considered a "mild" form of chemo, it still SUCKS.
It's still going to be a long two months but it's no four months. Looking forward to getting back in shape for the summer.
Hair has slowly been coming out the past couple of weeks but still hanging in there. No bald monkee pics to share yet.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Second ABVD Cycle
Not much fanfare here. Second chemo session went off without a hitch. A tiny bit of nausea this time around, similar to that feeling that sticks with you a few hours after a serious spinning ride at an amusement park. The fatigue has been less this time, probably because chemo was not immediately preceded by a flu shot this time around. Sunday evening through Tuesday after chemo is still the worst time though. Wednesday truly is hump day but I'm going to try to get back on the ice tonight. I didn't have any issues with hockey last week but that was almost 2 full weeks after the first chemo session.
I'll take the next chemo cycle over at Providence because they have a much nicer infusion center. I can get my own little cubby instead of sitting there staring at everyone else and comparing IV stand size.
No hair loss yet but this the week it's supposed to happen. Can't wait!
I'll take the next chemo cycle over at Providence because they have a much nicer infusion center. I can get my own little cubby instead of sitting there staring at everyone else and comparing IV stand size.
No hair loss yet but this the week it's supposed to happen. Can't wait!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
$15,000 Shot
That is not a typo. I got my first treatment-related insurance statement last night and...WOW! A single shot that took 30-seconds to administer: $15,000. My annual deductible and nearly all of my out-of-pocket max taken out by a single shot....how is that even possible? Seriously, it must be made with bits of real panther. Let's just hope it works more than 60% of the time.
Even better, it's not even related to the main chemo treatment. It's the day-after shot that's designed to boost my immune system and help keep me from getting sick while I'm on chemo. I can't wait to see what a chemo session gets billed at. I can't imagine going through this without insurance. Can you say total financial ruin? Thankfully, I have a very "reasonable" annual out-of-pocket max which will kick in after just a single treatment session. Funny how I used to stress over deductibles...cancer don't care 'bout no deductibles!
Even better, it's not even related to the main chemo treatment. It's the day-after shot that's designed to boost my immune system and help keep me from getting sick while I'm on chemo. I can't wait to see what a chemo session gets billed at. I can't imagine going through this without insurance. Can you say total financial ruin? Thankfully, I have a very "reasonable" annual out-of-pocket max which will kick in after just a single treatment session. Funny how I used to stress over deductibles...cancer don't care 'bout no deductibles!
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
I Pooped 3X Today!
That's right...that which I have always taken for granted has become cause for a minor celebration. I think I have turned the corner on the chemo-coma that I slipped into on Sunday night. Aside from the incessant hiccups, the day after chemo wasn't bad but I crashed pretty hard Sunday. Work on Monday was a haze of lethargy and apathy and Tuesday wasn't much better as the energy went up slightly but "chemo cramps" were introduced.
Things seem much better today which is good as we leave for Arizona in the AM to do a bit of mountain biking. I really have no idea how that is going to work out but we've had it scheduled for a long time and I guess we'll see what I can make out of it.
Things seem much better today which is good as we leave for Arizona in the AM to do a bit of mountain biking. I really have no idea how that is going to work out but we've had it scheduled for a long time and I guess we'll see what I can make out of it.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
On the Lighter Side
First night after of chemo was fairly uneventful. The only side effect so far has been some general fatigue which is to be expected, especially since I got a flu shot an hour before I started chemo, and a bit of a fever scare last night. I was having trouble sleeping and sweating in bed even though I ditched all the covers. I was getting a little nervous (fevers while on chemo are trouble) but it turned out the heat was just left turned up when we went to bed. False alarm.
Hey, I said "lighter side"...what gives?
Ok so the lighter side...an amusing anecdote from my Conoco on-boarding process. Post offer acceptance, there were a number of forms and procedures that needed to be completed and verified prior to becoming an official employee of Conoco Phillips. One of these checklist items was the drug-screening. No problem, pretty standard for any new job. Almost.
I showed up at the testing facility just before they closed because they're only open until 5 on weeknights, I was still working, and I only had to pee in a cup and be on my way, right? WRONG! Turns out I was slated for the hair test which heretofore I had suspected was only an urban legend. Not so, my friend! As anyone who has seen me since I graduated from college knows, I keep my hair fairly short but for this particular test, they needed to get a 90-day history which requires hairs at least an inch long or a large volume shorter hairs. The options I was given were to shave: most(?) of my head, one leg, or both armpits. I could only assume the tester was joking because what guy has hair that long these days? Not many, surely there must be another solution here. Nope. So I had to go back into the testing room and this poor woman had to shave my armpits with electric clippers onto a sheet of paper from the printer and then "collect it" and jam it into foil collection packets. Those things are kid of spring/wiry and they ended up everywhere. Absurd! She kept apologizing (I'd find out why not too much later) but I felt like I was the one who should be apologizing. It seemed like she sure got the short end of the stick on that gig.
Then I got home and for the next several days "enjoyed" that prickly, itching sensation as your hair oh-so-slowly grows back in and the extreme irritation that you experience when that is occurring in a high chafing zone. I gained a new respect for the effort that women who shave must maintain to avoid that uncomfortableness. You can't stop once you start...it stings!
Hey, I said "lighter side"...what gives?
Ok so the lighter side...an amusing anecdote from my Conoco on-boarding process. Post offer acceptance, there were a number of forms and procedures that needed to be completed and verified prior to becoming an official employee of Conoco Phillips. One of these checklist items was the drug-screening. No problem, pretty standard for any new job. Almost.
I showed up at the testing facility just before they closed because they're only open until 5 on weeknights, I was still working, and I only had to pee in a cup and be on my way, right? WRONG! Turns out I was slated for the hair test which heretofore I had suspected was only an urban legend. Not so, my friend! As anyone who has seen me since I graduated from college knows, I keep my hair fairly short but for this particular test, they needed to get a 90-day history which requires hairs at least an inch long or a large volume shorter hairs. The options I was given were to shave: most(?) of my head, one leg, or both armpits. I could only assume the tester was joking because what guy has hair that long these days? Not many, surely there must be another solution here. Nope. So I had to go back into the testing room and this poor woman had to shave my armpits with electric clippers onto a sheet of paper from the printer and then "collect it" and jam it into foil collection packets. Those things are kid of spring/wiry and they ended up everywhere. Absurd! She kept apologizing (I'd find out why not too much later) but I felt like I was the one who should be apologizing. It seemed like she sure got the short end of the stick on that gig.
Then I got home and for the next several days "enjoyed" that prickly, itching sensation as your hair oh-so-slowly grows back in and the extreme irritation that you experience when that is occurring in a high chafing zone. I gained a new respect for the effort that women who shave must maintain to avoid that uncomfortableness. You can't stop once you start...it stings!
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